As Long as You Hold Me Tight
by Operatic
Summary: Collins was never a fan of horses. There was something about them he just didn't trust. But Angel had a way of making him do things he'd never consider otherwise.


note: we all just need a little pointless, snowy Angel/Collins fluff sometimes :) Will get the second chapter of my other one up, it's just I have these two holiday AC ideas. This was one of them, I just gotta finish the angstier one XD

"Isn't it romantic, though?"

Collins was never a fan of horses. There was something about them he just didn't trust. People always talked about them as being soulful creatures, as being beautiful, and he had just never understood the hype. Not that he'd never given them a chance; he actually rode one as a kid and it scared the life out of him. Angel always found that story particularly amusing. Now why she had to go and tell Mimi, he didn't know. Why Mimi had to tell Roger, who made fun of him ruthlessly...well, that much was no surprise.

But the trouble was, Angel had a way of making him do things he'd never consider otherwise. It was an eye-opening thing, yeah, but it was also a frustrating one. She always won him over, with those deep eyes alone, long eyelashes, perfect smile. It never ceased to amaze him the things people could say about a damn _horse_, beautiful and soulful and free, when there was someone right in front of him who held all those things and more. One more reason he didn't understand the general population.

It, unfortunately, also led to some very strange situations. Which he figured was why he was curled up under a blanket, with Angel. In the freezing cold. Staring at a horse's backside.

"I've always wanted to do this. A real, genuine sleigh ride," she sighed contentedly beside him, her cold fingers gripping his. It worried him, the cold. But she didn't seem the least bit concerned; typical of her not to be. "Haven't you? On a cold December day, going all around Central Park..."

"Not exactly," he confessed. Actually...he'd considered it before. But it'd always seemed such a bore, a total waste of time. Why would he ever want to pay money to freeze his ass off while a horse pulled him around? There were a million better things he could do with that money; like spending it on food so he wouldn't starve to death. Or...pot.

As soon as the horse took off, Collins had to wonder if it truly was a bad idea on Angel's part. Her nose and the tips of her ears were radiating a nice shade of pink, and her smaller body was quivering slightly. She should've worn a hat. And a thicker coat. Maybe they should've stayed home. Was this really worth her getting sick? Even when she insisted, he was having a hard time putting that thought out of his mind.

But then she laughed. Some kids were having a snow ball fight, rapidly building forts, covering their heads, and it made her laugh. Her shoulders, her belly, her whole warm body was shaking slightly under the blanket, not from the cold. She even raised one of her ice cold hands to her dark lips, looking towards him.

Anything that could make her look at him like that...anything that could make her feel like that, maybe it was worth it. (Even if it was a damn horse).

Several minutes later, she'd come down from her high, her body resting more against his as she simply enjoyed the ride peacefully. He kept his arms around her, doing all he could to keep her snug, his warm body shielding her and the coat warming her from the inside, out. It was typical though, it was so typical, that a few moments later she sat up in his arms, looking him straight in the eye.

"Hey," she said softly. He could see her breath. "It's snowing."

It was true, the white flakes were falling from the sky as the sleigh approached its starting point. He hadn't even noticed, he'd been too content just watching her. But as he looked at her full on, he noticed a few snowflakes in her dark wig, and she was beaming at him. "Remember?" she added on a breath, leaning closer to him.

He remembered.

His lips touched hers, and even as the horses slowed to a halt, he found himself unwilling to leave the sleigh. Any traces of his earlier cynicism, of his earlier frostbite, it was all long gone. Angel always did have a way of winning him over in the end.


End file.
